Written Answers

Friday 25 August 2000

Scottish Executive

Access to Information

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5908 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 April 2000, what type of information, and on what subjects, was being sought by the 10 requests for information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information which were refused and what were the reasons for refusal.

Mr Jim Wallace: The following table provides the information requested.

  


Number of refusals 


Type of information and subject 


Reasons for refusal 




5 


Raw marks educational data or geographic analyses based on candidate 
postcode 


Too resource-intensive to provide 




1 


Request for access to minutes of a confidential meeting 


Internal discussion and advice 




1 


Request for a copy of an implementation plan 


Plan is property of a third party 




1 


Minute of a meeting dealing with discussions about the development 
of a funding methodology 


Internal discussion and advice 




1 


Information relating to a third party’s entitlement to student 
support 


Breach of confidentiality 




1 


Evidence submitted to a Minister in relation to the need for 
a review of the building control system 


Internal discussion and advice Publication and prematurity in 
relation to publication

Access to Information

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to prepare the public sector for the introduction of freedom of information.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is preparing draft freedom of information legislation, which will be published for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny prior to its introduction to the Parliament. This and last year’s consultation exercise should help raise awareness in the public sector and beyond of the forthcoming Scottish freedom of information legislation.

  Detailed preparation of the public sector for implementation of freedom of information needs to be associated with the development of the legislation. Accordingly, the Executive is progressing with arrangements to establish a working group to oversee the work on preparing the way for the successful implementation of the legislation.

  It is envisaged that the Scottish Information Commissioner will play a key role in promoting freedom of information, raising awareness of the legislation and preparing the public sector for its implementation.

Access to Information

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish an advisory group on openness in the public sector.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive said in last autumn’s consultation document on freedom of information, An Open Scotland , that it would draw on the results of the United Kingdom Government’s Advisory Group on Openness in the Public Sector, and that a working group of senior officials from the Executive and a cross-section of Scottish public authorities would be established to oversee the work on preparing the way for the successful implementation of freedom of information legislation. Proposals in relation to the establishment of the working group will be made known later this year.

Access to Information

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration on the implementation of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information is due.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration intends to submit his first annual report to the Scottish Parliament before the autumn recess.

Access to Information

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on proper archiving and records management in public bodies in the delivery of freedom of information policies.

Mr Jim Wallace: As was stated in our consultation document, An Open Scotland, we consider that good practice by public bodies in archiving and record keeping will be an essential part of an effective freedom of information regime.

Air Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Airports and Air Services Study will be completed and when a report will be published.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Airports and Air Services Study has now been completed and it is intended that its findings will be published later this year along with a formal consultation paper on issues arising from all the regional air service studies.

Charity Law

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the existing law is as it applies to street collectors who persuade people to sign Standing Orders and Deeds of Covenant for donations to charity and whether it has any plans to reform the law that covers this method of soliciting and collecting donations.

Mr Jim Wallace: The regulation of public charitable collections is governed by section 119 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and associated regulations.

  Further to my announcement of 29 March, the independent commission to review and reform charity law in Scotland is currently at work and is due to report back to me by Easter 2001. As part of its work, the commission will consider the regulation of public charitable collections. I will consider any necessary reform of the law in the light of the recommendations of the commission.

Credit Unions

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it has provided to credit unions in the past year and what plans it has to promote them in the future.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has supported moves to establish a central support organisation for credit unions as recommended in the Treasury Task Force report. The Executive has contributed to a programme to design and deliver health checks for credit unions in Scotland. We have also begun work on the creation of a national development strategy for credit unions which will be published later this autumn.

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the recent reports that CJD may be passed through sterilised dental equipment, it has any plans to investigate the possibility of any risk that the disease could be passed through equipment used in abattoirs.

Susan Deacon: Regulation of abattoirs is primarily within the remit of The Food Standards Agency. The agency has informed me that the chances of infectivity entering an abattoir are very small. Checks operated by the Meat Hygiene Service ensure that each bovine animal entering the abattoir is subject to official inspection and all suspect BSE cases, and cattle aged over thirty months, are excluded by abattoirs processing meat for human consumption.

  In addition, Regulations require that the equipment used for the removal of Specified Risk Material is dedicated to that purpose and is not used on meat destined for the human food chain.

  The agency has two relevant projects that are nearing completion. One project is looking at procedures for stunning and pithing and the other is investigating aerosol production when splitting carcasses. The agency is fully committed both to openness of information and to the overriding need to safeguard consumers. They will therefore urgently advise on any required action arising from the results of such research.

Crime

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been an increase in rural crime and whether it will provide any relevant statistics for each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not distinguish rural crime. The available information is given in the research reports listed below:

  A Study of Crime in Rural Scotland, published by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit in 1997.

  Crime and The Farming Community: The Scottish Farm Crime Survey 1998, published by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit in 1999.

  New Ideas in Rural Development No. 8 Tackling Crime in Rural Scotland, published by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit in 1999.

  The Recording of Wildlife Crime, published by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit in 1999

  Copies of these are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no.’s 2320, 7117, 6612 and 7118 respectively).

Criminal Records

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has made to the Church of Scotland following their request for £175,000 in government funding to cover the cost of vetting volunteers when new child protection safeguards are introduced.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Church of Scotland’s concern about the cost of criminal record checks for their volunteers is being considered by the Part V Voluntary Issues Review Group which is chaired by Jackie Baillie, Deputy Minister for Communities. The review group, which includes a representative from the Scottish Churches Committee, is considering the impact of the introduction of criminal record checks under Part V of the Police Act 1997 on voluntary organisations and is reviewing charging issues and policies as they apply to the voluntary sector. Progress is being made and we hope that the group will reach conclusions later this year.

Demography

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4524 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 March 2000, what figures it has for net outward migration from the Scottish Borders for each year from 1996 to date for the age groups 18-30, 31-45, 45-60, and over 60.

Mr Jim Wallace: Estimates of net migration by age-group for the Scottish Borders consistent with the Registrar General’s mid year estimates of population are given in the following table.

  

 

Year ending 30 June 




Age group 


1996 


1997 


1998 


1999 




Under 18 


40 


110 


150 


110 




18-30 


-300 


-340 


-390 


-390 




31-45 


150 


240 


280 


330 




46-60 


200 


230 


220 


210 




60+ 


100 


80 


90 


100 




All ages 


190 


320 


360 


350 




  Notes:

  1. A positive figure indicates net inward migration.

  2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add due to rounding.

Demography

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the average life expectancy of (a) women and (b) men is expected to increase between 1997 and 2007.

Mr Jim Wallace: At the request of the Registrar General, the Government Actuary prepares projections on life expectancy in Scotland as part of the preparation of population projections. Between 1997 and 2007 the Government Actuary projects the increase in life expectancy in Scotland at birth for women and men at 1.6 and 2.2 years respectively.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it intends to take to provide milling or drying facilities for wood becoming available through natural waste.

Sarah Boyack: None.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what directions or guidance it intends to provide to tree surgeons and local authorities regarding the disposal of wood becoming available through natural waste.

Sarah Boyack: None.

Environment

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with providing the Scottish Environment Protection Agency with the additional regulatory powers for any necessary strengthening of existing water pollution control legislation as identified in the report Improving Scotland’s Water Environment which the Minister for Transport and the Environment launched last year.

Sarah Boyack: I am determined to reduce water pollution. The environmental quality of Scotland’s waters is generally very good, but there are some significant problems, for example in some bathing waters. We need to ensure that SEPA has the tools to tackle those.

  A consultation paper will be released today on new powers for SEPA to serve Enforcement Notices on holders of discharge consents where a condition of consent is being contravened or where a contravention is likely. These powers will be used as part of SEPA’s regulatory and enforcement procedure and will not preclude prosecution. They will enable the agency to require action to be taken before pollution occurs. Such notices will be powerful and flexible tools, which will benefit the environment directly by promoting improvements in the quality of discharges and the operation of processes.

  Enforcement Notices form part of a series of measures which we have in hand to strengthen the powers of SEPA to protect and improve the water environment. Earlier this year I announced proposals to enable SEPA to issue anti-pollution works notices to polluters or potential polluters requiring them to clean-up or take precautionary measures. I also announced consultation on measures extending SEPA’s powers to serve notices requiring appropriate work to certain farm storage structures, which will also relax existing rules to encourage maintenance of these structures on farms. I intend to make regulations soon which will bring these proposals into effect.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value is of all assets held by the public sector in Scotland.

Mr Jack McConnell: The information requested is not held centrally.

  Summarised information on the value of the assets is given in the published accounts of the bodies concerned. The Scottish Executive will publish accounts early in 2001 giving such information. All other bodies in the public sector in Scotland already publish accounts giving this information.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a report from the Ministerial Task Force addressing Tayside region’s health service overspend and, if so, when it will be published.

Susan Deacon: The task force has produced an Interim Report which I published on 30   June together with details of the Executive’s response. A copy of the Interim Report has been forwarded to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is for radiological investigation of patients in Scotland by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, broken down by NHS Trust.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7949 by Susan Deacon on 28 June 2000, why information on the total number of locums currently employed is not collated by the NHS and what plans it has to start collating this information.

Susan Deacon: Information on the total number of locums currently employed is not collected by the NHS in Scotland. The information required for workforce planning purposes is the number of established posts. Details of these are already supplied by NHS Boards and Trusts as part of the Medical and Dental Manpower Census.

  It is recognised that information on the number of locums may be of value for other purposes and the Information & Statistics Division (ISD) of the NHS in Scotland are investigating the feasibility of collecting information on locums employed directly by NHS Trusts or by General Medical Practitioners.

Housing

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the publication (design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and costs of launch) of the Better Homes for Scotland’s Communities report.

Ms Wendy Alexander: £33,200.

Influenza

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7082 by Susan Deacon on 19 June 2000, which health boards offered additional payments to GPs for flu vaccinations in 1999-2000; what criteria health boards use in deciding whether to make such payments, and what the total amount paid to GPs by each health board for flu vaccination was.

Susan Deacon: The answer is set out in the following table:

  


Health Board 


Health Board Criteria 


1999-2000
£ 




Argyll and Clyde 


No payments 


0 




Ayrshire & Arran 


Target payment of £193.82: paid where 70% of 75+ population were 
vaccinated, abated where target percentage was not reached. 


35,000 




Borders 


£25,000 for administration costs of identifying and vaccinating 
75+ population and £12,000 for administration costs of vaccinating 
residents of nursing and residential homes and elderly people 
at risk in the community. 


37,000 




Dumfries and Galloway 


To fund an influenza vaccination programme, payments in proportion 
to the number of 75+ on the practice list, plus more resources 
to recognise general winter increase in workload. 


35,003 




Fife 


Distributed per GP. Noted that much of this work is carried out 
by Practice Nurses: Treatment Room Nurses and Nurse Practitioner 
posts are currently fully funded. 


20,000 




Forth Valley 


to cover 65+ and at risk groups; included evaluation at £10,000. 


280,000 




Grampian 


£90,000 for a programme of clinics in Aberdeen, managed by Aberdeen 
Inner City LHCC; included appointment of a project manager, phased 
invitations to clinics. 
£54,706 for bulk purchase of the vaccine giving savings of 53%.
£12,930 to City chemist contractors for promoting the campaign. 
  
£5,719 evaluation of Aberdeen City programme. 
£15,394 funding to practices outwith the City to carry out flu 
vaccination at practice level. 


178,749 




Greater Glasgow 


No payments: encouraged GPs to follow the CMO guidelines. 


0 




Highland 


£30,000 block payment to the PCT to remunerate GPs for additional 
efforts over winter, including flu vaccination. 


30,000 




Lanarkshire 


No payments: activity undertaken as part of general medical services 
in accordance with Scottish Executive advice. 


0 




Lothian 


£132,977 for patients 75+ and GP and nursing home staff at around 
£5.50 per vaccination. Targeted payment but GPs were encouraged 
to vaccinate all other at risk patients. 


132,977 




Orkney 


No payments 


0 




Shetland 


£4,737.50 patients 75+ at £6.25 per vaccination. Practices reminded 
that the other target groups should be offered vaccination. GPs 
agreed to do so as part of GMS. 


4,737.5 




Tayside 


£50,000: £1.20-1.70 per vaccination for patients vaccinated according 
to CMO guidelines. 


50,000 




Western Isles 


£3,163 for at risk patients as defined in the CMO Guidelines: 
target payment: £1 per vaccination paid where 40% of at risk patients 
immunised: an additional 5p on top of the £1 paid for each additional 
1% vaccinated up to 80%. 


3,163 




TOTAL 

 

806,629.5

Joint Ministerial Meetings

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the Joint Ministerial meeting held on 26 May 2000 to discuss pensioner poverty in the UK.

Mr Jim Wallace: At the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on Poverty held on 26 May 2000, the respective administrations agreed a joint programme of work to encourage take-up of benefits and services by pensioners, and discussed their respective social exclusion and anti-poverty strategies.

Justice

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many retailers have been prosecuted in Scotland under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 following the issue of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department Circular No. 1992 (GEN) 9.

Mr Jim Wallace: During the period between 1992 and 1998 there have been two prosecutions in Scottish courts where the main offence was under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991. Data for 1999 are not yet available.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that people against whom sufficient evidence has been gathered for charges to be laid do not avoid prosecution because of minor search warrant discrepancies.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is for the Lord Advocate and the court in each individual case to determine whether or not an error in a search warrant renders court proceedings inappropriate or unsafe. The courts have discretion to excuse irregularities which are not fundamental to the validity of the warrant. The Lord Advocate has already reviewed the procedures governing the preparation of search warrants. Under new procedures which came into effect in October 1999, the Procurator Fiscal is involved in the preparation of requests for search warrants in all but the most exceptional cases, and almost all applications are now dealt with by sheriffs rather than justices. These procedures are designed to ensure that applications are properly scrutinised before they are granted.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any wider implications for the criminal justice system of the appeal, upheld by the Lord President, in the names of Thomas McAnea, Raymond Dean, John McGrigor and Dennis McGinnis.

Mr Jim Wallace: No.

Justice

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the current procedures for monitoring the compliance of offenders taking part in the pilot schemes for electronic tagging.

Mr Jim Wallace: The recently published independent research, An Evaluation of Electronically Monitored Restriction of Liberty Orders , by David Lobley and David Smith concluded that the electronic equipment used to monitor offenders’ compliance with their orders had worked well and that contractors’ staff responded promptly and efficiently in response to violations of the restriction requirements.

  Violation of any of the terms of an order is detected promptly by the monitoring equipment and notification sent immediately, via a phone line, to the monitoring centre. Contractors are required to follow up any such violation and to follow agreed procedures in reporting violations to the court for further action. The effectiveness of contractors in carrying out these procedures is monitored carefully by the Executive.

  As with any other community disposal, it is for the court to decide how to deal with any offender who has not complied with his Restriction of Liberty Order.

Justice

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the pilot schemes for electronic tagging of offenders and whether it will provide details.

Mr Jim Wallace: Following the recent publication of an independent evaluation of the pilot Restriction of Liberty Order schemes, The Scottish Executive will publish a consultation paper shortly on the electronic monitoring of offenders. Decisions on the future of the pilot schemes, and any wider use of electronic monitoring will be informed by the views expressed in the consultation, and by the evaluation.

Kingston Bridge

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to publish structural monitoring reports on the Kingston Bridge once all repairs have been completed and, if so, how frequently.

Sarah Boyack: This type of technical information relating to the operational management of the structure has not been published in the past and it is not proposed to do so in the future.

Kingston Bridge

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how much repairs to the Kingston Bridge have cost at current prices, since its original completion prior to current repairs, (b) who paid for those repairs, (c) how much it will cost at current prices for the repairs being carried out at present and (d) who is paying for current repairs.

Sarah Boyack: Between the late 1980s when it became apparent that the bridge was suffering from a number of serious structural problems, and 1 April 1996 when the M8 through Glasgow was adopted as a trunk road, Strathclyde Regional Council, the local roads authority, incurred expenditure of approximately £11.6 million.

  The estimated final cost of the current strengthening contract is £31.5 million. Since the M8 was adopted as a trunk road all costs in connection with the bridge have been the responsibility of The Scottish Office, now the Scottish Executive.

Leylandii Hedges

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce legislation to limit the height of trees, such as Leylandii hedges, in urban settings.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is currently considering the subject of high hedges. A consultation paper was issued on 12 January 2000, seeking views on the extent of problems they cause; and on whether existing remedies are sufficient to deal with any problems experienced or whether additional measures should be considered. The closing date for responses was 31 March. Responses are currently being evaluated so that the Executive can consider what action, if any, may be appropriate.

Licensing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage local authorities to set up "licensing forums" to allow members of the licensing board, licensing officials, police and representatives of licensees to meet informally to discuss local issues relating to the operation of the licensing system and allow licensing boards to become better informed on these issues.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has no such plans at present.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of Greater Glasgow Health Board’s 624 registered midwives are (a) recently graduated, (b) full time, (c) part time, (d) on temporary contracts and (e) on permanent contracts.

Susan Deacon: Information relating to the Greater Glasgow Health Board area is as follows:

  (a) This information is not held centrally.

  (b) & (c) At 30 September 1999, there were 624 registered midwives employed. Of those, 397 worked full-time and 227 worked part-time hours.

  (d) & (e) This information is not held centrally.

Nursing

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review bursary and maintenance grants available to nursing and midwifery students in universities and colleges.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the funding from central government to nursing students completing diploma and degree courses.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive will be reviewing the nursing and midwifery bursary scheme prior to the 2001-02 academic year.

Police

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase recruitment of special constables.

Mr Jim Wallace: Decisions on the recruitment, deployment and the ratio of special to regular constables are operational matters for chief constables. A report on the role of the special constabulary was prepared by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and presented to the Police Advisory Board for Scotland last year. It recognised that there would be benefits in developing and enhancing the opportunities for members of the special constabulary to contribute to community policing. The recommendations contained in the report are currently being implemented by forces.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail for each of the last five years, broken down by (a) police force and (b) category of vehicle, the number of vehicles (i) owned and (ii) hired, giving the annual budget figures for vehicle purchase and maintenance.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is not held centrally. Decisions on whether to hire or purchase vehicles are operational matters for chief constables.

Police

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £233,000 extra funding for Northern Constabulary is for the current year only, or is an ongoing spending commitment year on year.

Mr Jim Wallace: £433,000 was allocated to Northern Constabulary as part of the Scottish Executive’s recent additional investment of £8.9 million in Scotland’s police forces. It was provided primarily to allow recruitment of more police officers. The increase will be taken into account in arriving at allocations for future years.

Police

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of government funding to be made available to Northern Constabulary in each of the next four financial years.

Mr Jim Wallace: Spending Review 2000 is presently examining overall funding requirements for 2002-03 and 2003-04. No decisions have yet been taken on the level of funding to individual police authorities for future years.

Police

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what efficiency savings Northern Constabulary has to make as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Mr Jim Wallace: The 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review concluded that the police service in Scotland should make efficiency savings of 1% in 1999-2000, 1.7% in 2000-01 and 2.5% in 2001-02.

Police

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and why police officers are allowed to keep firearms in their own home, whether this practice has given rise to any security or public safety issues and whether it has any plans to review any existing guidance.

Mr Jim Wallace: Police officers may keep personally owned firearms, such as rifles or shotguns, in their own homes provided that they have an appropriate certificate issued by the relevant chief constable. They are not permitted to keep police issue firearms in their own homes under any circumstances.

  Police issue firearms are always stored within secure accommodation by forces at all times. Firearms are only issued on the authority of a senior officer for a specific purpose and only to an authorised firearms officer. Thereafter the weapons are signed out to the authorised firearms officer and on completion of the operation returned to the security of the force armoury. There are no plans to review existing guidelines.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what number of prisoners is held per hall in each of the prisons managed by the Scottish Prison Service; how many shift supervisors there are for each hall, and what the equivalent figures were for 1999 and 1995.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The number of prisoners held per hall or dormitory changes frequently depending upon the prisoner population and operational requirements. Comparable figures of the number of halls and dormitories and the number of supervisors per establishment is shown in the table below.

  


 


2000 


1999 


1995 




Establishment 


Number of Halls or Dorms 


Number of Supervisors 


Number of Halls or Dorms 


Number of Supervisors 


Number of Halls or Dorms 


Number of Supervisors 




Aberdeen 


4 


12 


4 


12 


4 


10 




Barlinnie 


6 


46 


6 


46 


6 


37 




Castle Huntly 


2 


5 


2 


5 


2 


5 




Cornton Vale 


5 


19 


5 


19 


5 


17 




Dumfries 


4 


12 


4 


12 


4 


12 




Edinburgh 


8 


43 


8 


43 


7 


34 




Glenochil 


7 


37 


7 


37 


7 


40 




Greenock 


3 


14 


3 


14 


2 


14 




Inverness 


6 


11 


6 


11 


6 


7 




Low Moss 


15 


12 


15 


12 


15 


12 




Noranside 


6 


6 


6 


6 


6 


5 




Perth 


6 


39 


5 


36 


5 


32 




Peterhead 


6 


21 


6 


24 


6 


21 




Polmont 


7 


32 


7 


32 


7 


35 




Shotts 


6 


34 


6 


34 


6 


30

Rail Network

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2130 by Sarah Boyack on 6 July 2000, whether the financing of the Borders railway line was discussed at the meeting with the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority on 26 June 2000 following the motion agreed by the Parliament on 1 June 2000 and whether any finance will be available from this source to reinstate the entire line from Edinburgh to Carlisle.

Sarah Boyack: Yes. I reported to the Chief Executive of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority my understanding that the Borders railway line is currently the subject of an application to the Public Transport Fund being prepared by Scottish Borders Council.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7182 by Sarah Boyack on 3 July 2000, whether ownership and entry to the land in question has now been taken; whether all necessary statutory consents are now in place; what progress has been made in establishing the viability of the proposed Public/Private Partnership, and when it now considers a start on site to be likely.

Sarah Boyack: Ownership of the land covered by the Compulsory Purchase Orders for the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh scheme has been transferred to the Scottish Ministers and entry has been taken to the land. The exception is Eastwood Golf Club’s land where entry will be taken in 2002 for the reasons explained in my answer to question S1W-7182. Compensation payments to the previous landowners are being negotiated as soon as additional works such as fencing and access arrangements are agreed.

  Consultants are undertaking an audit of the design of the M77 on behalf of the department to ensure that the design satisfies current road and environmental standards. This is likely to result in minor areas of additional land being required in addition to that covered by the Compulsory Purchase Orders. The results of that audit are expected in the autumn.

  Four orders remain to be made that have been through public inquiry and are not contentious. These orders are two de-trunking orders that return the existing A77 to the local authorities once the M77 is built and two minor road closure orders. A further minor order will be necessary to remove an anomaly at the junction of the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh scheme and the existing M77 Ayr Road Route.

  Consultants are advising the department on the likely viability of the proposed Public/Private Partnership. This work is expected to be completed by the autumn. It is intended that tender documents for the Public/Private Partnership will be issued in the summer of 2001, with the award of a contract in 2002 and a start on site in 2002.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in relation to the Statement of Practice, issued by the Cabinet Office in January 2000 on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector and whether it has any plans to apply the Statement’s principle to the tendering of contracts for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive will have regard to the Statement of Practice in any contract to be let by the Scottish Ministers, having regard to the particular circumstances of each contract.

  For the contracting exercise for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network, the Scottish Executive will require, as a term of the contract, that contractors take into account obligations imposed by statutes, including TUPE. The Instructions for Tendering which define how the contracting exercise should be undertaken will seek from tenderers an appropriate undertaking of compliance. Staff transfers consequential to the legislation should take place.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7989 by Sarah Boyack on 11 July 2000, whether it will provide the equivalent information covering each year since the current water authorities were set up.

Sarah Boyack: The information on water authority chief executives’ salary packages is given in the following tables:

  


West of Scotland Water Authority 




Chief Executive 


Year 


Salary 


Bonus 


Taxable benefit 


Pension 


Total 




Ernie Chambers 


1996-97 


£82,000 


£15,000 

 

£4,000 


£101,000 



 

1997-98 


£84,000 

 

£1,000 


£5,000 


£90,000 



 

1998-99 


£87,000 


£16,000 


£1,000 


£7,000 


£111,000 



 

1999-2000 


£90,000 


£17,000 


£1,000 


£9,000 


£117,000 




  Previous Post: Director of Water and Sewerage Services, Strathclyde Regional Council.

  


East of Scotland Water Authority 




Chief Executive 


Year 


Salary 


Bonus 


Taxable benefit 


Pension 


Total 




Rod Rennet 


1996-97 


£82,400 


£16,480 


£7,812 


£7,910 


£114,602 



 

1997-98 


£84,254 


£15,070 


£5,145 


£8,341 


£112,810 



 

1998-99 


£86,779 


£15,335 


£5,146 


£10,674 


£117,934 



 

1999-2000 


£93,974 


£14,725 


£2,642 


£11,432 


£122,773 




  Previous Post: Director of Water Services, Tayside Regional Council.

  


North of Scotland Water Authority 




Chief Executive 


Year 


Salary 


Bonus 


Taxable benefit 


Pension 


Total 




Alastair Findlay 


1996-97 


£83,000 


£16,000 


£7,000 


£8,000 


£114,000 



 

1997-98 


£84,000 


£16,000 


£7,000 


£8,000 


£115,000 



 

1998-99 


£87,000 


£15,000 


£7,000 


£9,000 


£118,000 



 

1999-2000 


£90,000 


£9,000 


£8,000 


£10,000 


£117,000 




  Previous Position: Fisheries Secretary, Scottish Office.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what were the total costs of the publication (design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch) of the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group report.

Mr Frank McAveety: I refer Mr Keith Harding to the answer I gave to question S1W-8350 on 12 July which dealt with publication costs. The launch was held in the Scottish Executive’s Media Centre and the only cost involved was for tea, coffee and biscuits which was met centrally by Media and Communications Group.